HBS Ring Ltd

Name

HBS Ring Ltd

Legal name

HBS Ring Ltd

Website

https://hbsring.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Inverness

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Three-tier annual membership: Associate £90 + VAT, Intermediate £149 + VAT, Full £169 + VAT. These recurring fees provide access to all HBS Ring services and member discounts.
2. Commission on Member Transactions: HBS Ring charges a modest 2% commission on the value of work facilitated between members (demander to supplier). This is the primary transaction fee revenue stream, covering operational overheads.
3. HALS Ltd Commodity and Training Sales: HALS Ltd, a subsidiary of HBS Ring, handles invoicing for commodities, training courses, and non-member to member activities. Revenue is generated from the sale of feeds, fuels, fertilisers, chemicals, seeds, and Lantra-approved training courses.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

HBS Ring Ltd operates a member-owned cooperative that uses a centralised computer database to match members needing rural labour, machinery, or services ("demanders") with the nearest available supplier members. It also acts as a single billing intermediary through one direct debit account and aggregates member demand to provide collective purchasing of fuels, feeds, fertilisers, insurance, training, and vehicle rebates across the Highlands of Scotland.

Product overview

HBS Ring Ltd is a member-owned cooperative operating in the Highlands for over 30 years, offering a unified platform of resource-sharing and procurement services. The core offering is The Ring service, which connects members needing labour or machinery (demanders) with the most appropriate and nearest supplier members. The cooperative operates through its subsidiary HALS Ltd for commodities, training, and non-member activities. The product portfolio spans: fuel products (gas, heating oil, wood pellets, diesel, AdBlue); agricultural feeds (silage, hay, straw, draff, specialised feeds); vehicle rebates; insurance services; Lantra-approved training courses; and membership programs with tiered access. The company also provides access to member shopping portals (Spaldings, MacGregor Industrial Supplies) for discounted industrial and agricultural supplies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Highland Training Services: Lantra Approved training services providing a wide range of courses including chainsaw, forestry, ATV, forklift, pest control, and first aid training.

Products and services

• Resource Sharing Service (The Ring) A member-to-member resource sharing platform that connects demanders with the most appropriate and nearest suppliers, facilitating the sharing of labour, machinery, and other rural assets among members.
• Fuel Products

Quantifiable outcome

• Approximately 1,200 members served across farming, crofting, business, and domestic sectors.
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Howdens Group Insurance BrokerscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHBS Ring has partnered with Howdens Group to provide insurance services to members. Howdens acts as an insurance broker, providing competitive quotes for buildings, liabilities, vehicles, livestock, and extended cover (equine, renewable energy, farm machinery, etc.).
• Case IH UKcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCase IH UK has agreed to continue the existing rebate scheme with HBS Ring members for a further year. Members purchasing Case IH equipment can claim rebates by having their dealer send a copy of the invoice to HBS Ring.
• HALS Ltd (Highland Agricultural Labour Services)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHALS Ltd is a subsidiary company of HBS Ring. The Ring acts as an agent for member-to-member activities, while HALS Ltd handles invoicing for commodities, training courses, and non-member activities.
• Scottish Machinery Ring AssociationminorOthersHBS Ring Ltd is a member of the Scottish Machinery Ring Association, indicating affiliation with a broader network of agricultural machinery rings in Scotland.
• REC (Recruitment and Employment Confederation)minorOthersHALS Ltd is a member of the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (Membership number 00061942), providing oversight and standards compliance for labour and recruitment services.
• SpaldingsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSpaldings is a supplier accessible to HBS Ring members via a dedicated shopping portal. Spaldings offers free delivery on all orders over £99.
• MacGregors Industrial SuppliesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerHBS Ring members access member-specific pricing at MacGregors Industrial Supplies via a login portal, with an additional 5% discount available to HBS members.
• Johnston OilsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorJohnston Oils is one of HBS Ring's fuel supply partners, providing diesel, kerosene, and DERV to HBS Ring members.
• Certas EnergyminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCertas Energy is a fuel supply partner providing diesel, kerosene, and other fuel products to HBS Ring members.
• PK NutritionminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHBS Ring is the main supplier of PK Nutrition Products in the North of Scotland, including PK Drench and various mineral and supplement tubs. Deliveries are also available.
• LantraminorOthersHBS Ring delivers Lantra-approved training courses through Highland Agricultural Labour Services (H.A.L.S), a subsidiary. Lantra provides accreditation for courses including chainsaws, forestry, first aid, ATV, forklift, and pesticide handling.
• REC (Recruitment and Employment Confederation)minorOthersHALS Ltd, subsidiary of HBS Ring, is a member of REC (Membership number 00061942), providing regulatory oversight for recruitment and employment services.

Scale indicators4 records

Direct peers

• Ringlink Scotland Ltd: Ringlink is another Scotland-based machinery/labour sharing cooperative operating a near-identical 'Ring' model matching demanders with suppliers among rural members. It is the most directly comparable peer to HBS Ring.
• East Anglia Machinery Ring (EAMR): East Anglia Machinery Ring is a UK machinery cooperative with an identical 'Ring' model matching members' labour and machinery demand with supply, plus collective purchasing of inputs — directly comparable business and operating model to HBS Ring.
• Wessex Farm Machinery Ring: Wessex Farm Machinery Ring operates the same Ring matching model in southern England — member-to-member labour and machinery sharing plus collective input purchasing. Same operating model as HBS Ring, different region.
• Tarff Services Ltd (Tarff Valley): Tarff Services is a Dumfries & Galloway-based rural cooperative offering member services around agricultural inputs, machinery sharing and member discounts, overlapping significantly with HBS Ring's proposition in southern Scotland.
• Hereford Machinery Ring: Hereford Machinery Ring is another UK member-owned machinery ring providing labour/machinery sharing and bulk purchasing services to farmers, directly comparable in operating model to HBS Ring.
• Lothian Machinery Ring: Lothian Machinery Ring operates the same machinery/labour sharing cooperative model in the Lothians, affiliated with the Scottish Machinery Ring Association like HBS Ring.
• Borders Machinery Ring: Borders Machinery Ring is a member-owned cooperative in the Scottish Borders offering the same labour/machinery sharing and collective purchasing model as HBS Ring, serving a different but adjacent Scottish geography.

Broad incumbents

• Anglia Farmers (AF Group): Anglia Farmers / AF Group is the UK's largest agricultural purchasing cooperative, offering collective buying of inputs, energy and supplies to farmer members. A broader incumbent in the same agricultural cooperative category as HBS Ring but at much larger scale and English geography.
• Openfield Agriculture: Openfield is a major UK farmer-owned grain and inputs cooperative. While grain-marketing led, it shares the farmer-cooperative, member-owned structure and collective-input purchasing model that underpins HBS Ring.

Others

• Howden Group (Howdens Insurance Brokers): Howdens is HBS Ring's strategic insurance partner providing broker services to members. Included as an adjacent ecosystem participant enabling HBS Ring's insurance product rather than a direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/hbsring
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hbs-ring

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about HBS Ring Ltd